Expansion joint



Sept. 10, 1929. A. c. FISCHER EXPANS ION JOINT Filed Sept. '7, 1926 ZZUGTZZS/T (ZZberZ Gila/26f, 9%; g

Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES ALBERT C. FISCHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PHILIP CAREY MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

EXPANSION JOINT.

Application filed September 7, 1926. Serial No. 134,098.

My invention relates to improvements in means permitting expansion and compensat ing for contraction of street paving. Heretofore it has been the practice to use, be-

5 tween sections of paving, an asphaltic filler or one built up in layers of asphaltic material placed between layers of saturated felt, or a mastic body of felt compounded and saturated with a waterproofing mate- 1 rial which was constructed in slabs or boardlike strips, to be placed between bricks, curbs, concrete blocks and other structural material.

One difficulty experienced in the use of many of these expedients has been that when the strip is laid in the fall, or if through any chance frost finds its way under the strip, the strip will be raised, sometimes as much as several inches, and in some instances almost entirely expelled by the frost under the concrete. This is made possible by the fact that when the concrete contracts the material of the joint does not expand to the width of the opening in which it was first inserted. The result is that considerable of the material is lost and its purpose defeated. Moreover, the volatile oils with which the joint is saturated leaves the waterproofing material, so that it deteriorates to a hard, brittle, and dried out condition and no longer has the elastic effect which it had when first installed. Under such conditions the felt even deteriorates and rots, leaving a powdery substance in its place. This is due to the fact that the street often reaches a temperature as high as 140 degrees at which considerable of the volatile oils in the asphaltic material necessarily evaporate, the felt being a great conserver of heat and the asphaltic material saturated therein holding heat considerably longer than the concrete or paving material does. Another condition to be met is that when the concrete paving expands it often squeezes out i the contents of the joint, and traffic wears it away until the material which was originally used as a filler no longer fills up the space which was at first occupied by the joint, and weather and elements are free to enter.

My invention consists in using an insulating material, such as mineral fibre. asbestic fibre, or the like, which is proof against street acids and rotting processes, saturated in a waxy or paraflinous waterproofing compound and thoroughly compressed into a block-like structure. The upper part of the strip or slab being further immersed in an asphaltic waterproofing compound which gives it a solid but pliant consistency for several inches downward from the top of the joint, leaving the base light in weight and composed only of the fibres coated and compressed with a waterproofing material, which is light in structure and yields bycompression to pressure from below instead of rising out of its seat, and thus remains in place under the adverse conditions of use. I thus create a. joint which is less than half the weight of the solid joint as now being placed upon the market, and more durable in use than such joint. My improved paving joint, under the conditions named, will wedge more tightly into place instead of working out. It is constructured of material which is resistant to temperatures of the hottest possible weather, and it provides a plastic asphalt'ic top to the joint which will close and seal the top of the joint space, presents a wearing surface to the traffic, and, under pressure, will be pressed into the crevice and adapt itself to the top opening thereof. Upon expansion of the concrete or paving material, the joint will not ooze out, but by reason of its insulating nature will retain a non-fluid state.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, several embodiments thereof are disclosed, by way of illustration, in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings Figure 1 shows a joint packing composed of fibrous material along the sides of a saturated piece of felt and with a crown of asphaltic fibrous material giving firmness to the joint.

Figure 2 shows a joint packing comprising builtup layers of dry fibrous material saturated with light waterproofing material and having a crown of heavy waterproofing.

Figure 3 shows a solid fibrous block entirely immersed in a solid asphalt while hot, giving to the block a tough, compact, fibrous consistency when cool.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through Figure 3.

In all of the figures A. represents the body of the packing which is madeof asbestos, mineral wool, or equivalent light fibre, felted together and saturated with parafiin, or its equivalent, for the purposes hereinabove described. The body will be formed of a section suitable to fill the space between paving members, and of such thickness that it can yield to the approach of the paving members when they expand under heat, and of such inherent elasticity that it will expand and continue to fill the packing space even though the paving members draw apart under contraction. The body is also such that pressure exerted vertically upon it, from either below (as in case of frost) or above (as from traffic) will be absorbed in the inherent compressibility of the body instead of displacing the body.

The head or upper portion B is immersed in asphaltic material of such consistency as to provide a substantial pliable envelope, and render the upper portion compressible and ductile to the extent of adapting itself to the packing opening, filling and sealing the same, and spreading out and presenting a resistant portion of the street surface under the traffic which it encounters.

The present case is particularly concerned with the built-up layer formation type of joint, and, as illustrated in the drawing, I may produce the same according to Figure 1, by superimposing two layers of the waterproofed fibrous material upon a saturated layer of felt, or else, according to Figure 2, I may use three or more layers of the waterproofed. fibrous material with two or more layers of the binding material.

hen I refer to the waterproofed fibrous material I mean any of the materials above described, and fabricated as explained, or I may use dry fibrous material, not waterproofed, as described in the specification, cemented together by a suitable binder. 'Ihe waterproofed fibrous material may be produced in the form of a felted mat-like struc' ture permeated with a waterproofed binder, or it may be constructed in the form of a felted mat-like structure of cellular fibres with the cells of the fibres filled or unfilled, according to the mode of fabrication and the kind of waterproofed binder used, or it may be a felted, mat-like structure with the cells developed as interstices between the fibres, and with these cells filled or unfilled, according to the nature of the binding material used or the way that the fibres are mixed therewith. In any event it will be a felted, mat-like structure in combination with a wateiproofed binder, said fibres being mixed with the binder in one operation, as distinguished from previously formed roofing felt, which is later saturated after being felted and then uniting them in layer formation, thus necessitating three or four operations as against a single mixing operation.

\Vhen mineral wool is used as the fibrous material, or when asbestos fibre is used, and

when the waterproof binder is paralfine wax, or any other like colored waterproof binder the resultant product will be light in color, which will substantially correspond and harmonize with the color of the concrete with which the joint is installed. The inter mediate layers of binding material may also be paralfine wax, or the like, so as not to destroy this color effect. However, even when a sheet of saturated felt is used, as explained withv reference to Figure 2, it is so narrow that compared to the thickness of the other layers the color of the felt will be practically lost.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4 the layer formation may be developed by coating a solid strip or block of the waterproofed fibrous material with an envelope of tougl'i binding material. A binder of a waxy nature will do for this envelope, or it may be bitu minous material.

I claim:

1. constructional material comprising a preformed strip con'iposed of a plurality of layers adhesively attached, each. of which embody in its structure interrupted and substantially parallel mats of fibrous material.

2, Constructions-l material comprising a preformed strip composed of a plurality of layers adhesively attached, each of which embody in its structure interrupted and substantially parallel mats of fibrous material incorporated within a waterproof binder.

3. Constructional material comprising a preformed strip composed of a plurality of layers adhesively attached, each of which embody in its structure interrupted and sub stantially parallel mats of fibrous material, and having one edge coated with bitun'iinous material.

4. constructional material comprising a preformed strip composed of several layers waterproofed with waxy or paraifinous material, and coated with asphalt, each of said layers embodying in its structure interrupted and substantially parallel mats of fibrous material.

5. Construction material comprising a preformed core of waterproofed fibrous material, and an envelope of tough binding material, said core embodying in its structure irregularly overlapping mats of fibrous material arranged in substantially parallel relation.

Signed at- Chicago, Illinois this 31st day of August, 1926.

ALBERT C. FISCHER. 

